Welcome

Welcome to the POZ/AIDSmeds Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ/AIDSmeds community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the
symbol in each box.

Welcome to Am I Infected

IMPORTANT UPDATE
Posted Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Welcome to the "Am I Infected?" POZ forum.

New members -- those who have posted three or fewer messages -- are permitted to post questions and responses, free of charge (make them count!). Ongoing participation in the "Am I Infected?" forum -- posting more than three questions or responses -- requires a paid subscription.

A seven-day subscription
is $9.99, a 30-day subscription is $14.99 and a 90-day subscription is $24.99.

Anyone who needs to post more than three messages in the "Am I Infected?" forum -- including past, present and future POZ Forums members -- will need to subscribe, with
secure payments made via PayPal.

There will be no charge to continue reading threads in the
"Am I Infected?" forum, nor will there be a charge for participating
in any of the Main Forums; Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits; and Off Topic
Forums. Similarly, all POZ and AIDSmeds pages,
including our "How is HIV
Transmitted?" and "Am I Infected? (A
Guide to Testing for HIV)" lessons, will remain accessible to
all.

NOTE: HIV testing questions will still need to be posted in the "Am I
Infected?" forum; attempts to post HIV symptoms or testing questions in any other forums will be considered violations of our rules of membership and subject to time-outs and permanent bans.

To learn how to upgrade your Forums account
to participate beyond three posts in the "Am I Infected?" Forum, please click here.

Thank you for your understanding
and future support of the best online support service for people living with,
affected by and at risk for HIV.

Author
Topic: Worried-not-so-well? (Read 29666 times)

RapidRod, thanks yet again. i would be a total nervous breakdon if it wasīnt for you guys.i have allergies quite often, but this was some kind of allergy-boost, if you know what i mean. can the virus weaken your immune system as an allergic and make you even more allergic and/or increase the power of allergic experiences?

Look mate. You didn't have a risk. It was weeks before you decided to start whatiffing intercourse. You only fingered her and if you did anything else, you would have remembered. This has gone on long enough. I'm giving you that time out I've been warning you about. It will be for four weeks. Do NOT create a new account to get around your time out because if you do, you will be banned, no questions asked.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

hey, iīm back. bet youīve all missed me iīm going for a test this monday, and yeah, still pretty anxious. just a week or so after i got banned, i got the regular flu like everyone else in school with a sore throat and swollen nodes down my neck, no worries here. altough, after recovering i discovered that the nodes in my groin were slightly swollen(still are, chili peanut-size). the ones under my cheek has been rather persistant, they are smaller now but still noticable. could be from feeling them, i have tried taking weeklong breaks in the feeling but that hasīnt really helped, theyīre just noticable now. aaand, iīve also got some nodes on the back of my head. also, the fingers on my left hand has been buzzing for weeks. i guess iīll have to trust you on the fact that fingering is a nil risk. however, since iīm experiencing all this, i am whatiffing penile penetration while in drunk mode. it canīt have been for long since i have no real memories of it. iīm having a hard time retelling how my penis would feel in a vagina. and this is the tragic part. what if this is it? what if my first sexual experience, fingering and possible dipping, is also my last. i just wouldīnt be able to take this fact. during these anxious weeks, i have kept myself busy hanging out with friends, doing my daily routine. i have been baking a lot, very relaxing. and now, i feel like i have run out of anxiety. i just feel sad. what do i do?

dude...odd symptoms and swollen nodes without apparant reasons? i know anxiety can do a lot of weird things to your body, but swollen nodes isīnt one of them. not the persistant generalized kind anyway.

Not once have you ever said that you've been to a doctor. You don't even know for sure if they are swollen. You are stuck on HIV and nothing else could be causing your symptoms. If you are really having swollen nodes, then you should see a doctor. How about lymph node cancer? Has that crossed your mine? No, you are thinking of nothing but HIV.

i know what swollen nodes feel like. big almonds does just not pop up under your chin to the degree theyīre thumpinng against your pillow that night. lymph node cancer causes no swelling, thatīs what tricky about it. i have allergies and have also had swollen nodes before, but not like this, could constant anxiety for 5 weeks cause this? and why shouldīnt i be worried bout HIV when i may have had an unprotected exposure? if so,

1.what are my risks?2.am i supposed to feel it comforting that no rashes or related, typical ARS-symptoms have showed up? 3.tingling aka neuropathy isīnt a sign of primary infection, right?

The purpose of your time out was to encourage you to get the face-to-face help you need and we cannot give.

Nothing has changed from before. You had no risk.

I'm giving you another time out - this time, go see your doctor and while you're there, ask about a counseling referal so you can work on your hiv anxieties with a professional. We cannot do that for you here.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

thank god, i was negative. i wonīt woo-hoo cause i know what you think of the term. i would like to thank all of you for keeping up with me during this anxious time of my life. you know who you are. one last question though, the test was done 2-3 days before the 12 week mark. can i trust this test? donīt give me the "you never had a risk" cause i actually think i was inside her for a very brief time after all that vodka. my lymph nodes have gone down, but i still have a big one in my thigh which worries me. again thank you.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

It isn't hiv. Stop whattiffing. And keep your hands OFF your nodes. Touching them all the time to see if they're swollen will MAKE them swell and KEEP them swollen. It can take a week or more for them to go back to normal after you've been manhandling them all the time. Stop it!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Gargamel, I don't believe you. When you say "just one more question" it just means there's another just one more coming right after that.

You never needed to be tested in the first place. That you tested negative is no surprise to anyone, I think including yourself. That it was a few days less than 13 weeks is of course totally irrelevant in terms of the accuracy of the test result.

You're just playing around here with yourself, with us, with your lymph nodes and whatever else.

It's time to call a halt on this HIV stuff. If you are having physical symptoms you must discuss them with a doctor. If you genuinely can't stop obsessing about HIV then you need to see a therapist or other mental health specialist to discuss what the emotional basis is for holding on to this unwarranted concern about HIV. Life is too short to be wasting in this manner.

HIV is not your issue. Get the help you need to resolve your concern. And that help is not going to be found here.

what are the odds of seroconverting after 82 days? just wondering cause of swollen nodes, they still bug me from time to time. should i test again? i really need to know before having intercourse with my girfriend. i am not 22 years old iīm 18 and scared shitless.

went to get another test today but the doc said i shouldīnt, that i was reliably negative after the 11 weeks and 5 days. yet i have a lump in my thigh, and noticable nodes under my jaw. she also said that the indicator mark was 10 weeks, but that they used 12 anyway. the nodes are unexplainable and totally random, iīve stopped touching them with the exception of a regular, gentle check every 5-7 days. i really want to let this go. but what if i do and then it shows up years later when iīve had the chance to infect lots of women? my girlfriend, an honest virgin with birth control pills (sounds lame yeah, but thats the situation), wants to have sex with me but i donīt feel i can while experiencing these "symptoms". as you might imagine, itīs not good for our relation. what do i do? please give me a concrete answer, i feel bad for staying here so long, but blocking me wonīt help, itīll just boost my anxiety. please give me your thoughts on this, and iīll stay away for good. i wonīt need this site after that. take care of yourselves. / gargle

We have given you a concrete answer again and again. You don't have hiv.

I am giving you another time out - eight weeks this time. I'm doing this to encourage you to seek out some counseling for yourself so you can learn how to deal with your anxieties. We cannot help you with that.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

hey, i feel ashamed for posting still. but i have questions that needs to be answered. Since my nodes didīnt gp down, i went to a doctor and they cheked my blood for patology or cancer. they couldnt find diddly-squat. But do they chek for hiv in this standart routine blood-tests? Now, half a year after the "incident" my nodes are still swollen. the doctor said itīs probably the nodes growing faster than my body(still a teen) but they keep changing size so i doubt it. but 82 days is supposed to be enough. i may have taken a claritin the morning during testing day, does antithistamine like claritin (loratadine) affect blood results? I hope your holidays was pleasant.

Garg, whatever is going on with you is nothing related to HIV. Leave your lymph nodes alone. By handling, squeezing, pressing and otherwise bothering them you can create a problem where none exists.

Does your school have counseling? I'm thinking some professional help would be good in helping you to deal with whatever is going on. That kind of support is beyond the scope of this site, but I do think that's what would be good for you at this point.

a doctor has told me their swollen, and i dont handle them that much. what are the rules of late seroconversion? a possible six months if you are a heroinist or have performed anal sex? or just if youīve got a strong immune system?

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

i finally went for a final test today, it has been well over 6 months since the encounter so this should be definite, sorry for all the hypochondric crap iīve been spamming you with. the doctorīs gonna call me on my cell in a week with the results.

hey, doc called and gave me an all clear. Iīm neg. May this thread show all you worried wells out there that swollen nodes and a sore throat doesīnt mean diddly-squat when it comes to your status. Thank you guys, even though you hate me nowadays, youīve helped me so much during these stressfull 6 months. Take care!

LIFE is not a race to the grave with the intention of arriving safelyin a pretty and well-preserved body, but, rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW! WHAT ARIDE!!!

hey, did a mistake again. got drunk like last time (first time since last time as well), and just wandered around at a party, got thrown out, met a strange guy who talked what seemed like forever, went to gas station to buy gum and then headed back. when i woke up the next morning i had little punctures on my middle-finger...and now 2 weeks later iīve got the sore throat, nodes, and feverish feeling. i have already had the flu last month. Iīm, afraid that i somehow bumped into a heroin needle or somehow punctured my finger on one. perhaps the strange guy was doing heroine and i bumped my finger into the needle? really silly indeed and a very common have-i-got-HIV?-factor. so...silly as it is, what do you think? do i need to get anxious again? (need to stop getting that drunk indeed)

I'm not going to say anything but "goodbye" since you are probably gonna get banned for continuing to expect us to answer these ridiculous scenarios you keep coming back here with. We are not here to entertain you.

You need REAL psychological help.

EDITED TO SAY: Did you also consider that maybe the "strange guy" was a vampire and you might become one of the undead soon?

iīm sorry. Iīve got a fever and might let my paranoia take over. It just feels odd being afraid of this "incident" and then coming up with the symtoms from the guidelines at the correct time. Yeah, my mother think itīs silly of me as well as people donīt wawe needles around at parties but this situation is pretty weird for a hypochondric like myself. And there were like 2 or 3 marks on my finger, now a scab not likely for even a nudge of the needle, i mustīve hit something on the way home. Thanks for your time and excuse me for mishandling this site if thatīs what you feel iīm doing. well, no reasons for worries then?

LIFE is not a race to the grave with the intention of arriving safelyin a pretty and well-preserved body, but, rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW! WHAT ARIDE!!!